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If your partner has been diagnosed with cervical cancer, you are no doubt wondering what you can do to help. Coping with cervical cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery can be a very emotionally trying time for a woman, and having a loving, supporting partner can be an invaluable source of support.

The Role of the Partner in Cervical Cancer Care

As a partner of a woman who has been diagnosed with cervical cancer, you have a very important role. While you may feel the need to "fix" her problems, it is important to focus on just being there for her. One of the best things you can do is to listen to her when she wants to talk and hold her hand or give her a hug when she is feeling fragile.

"You don't always need to be a cheerleader," says Julie Walther Scheibel, MEd, a counselor based in St. Louis. "You can just be there to walk alongside [her]."

You can be most helpful if you listen carefully to your partner and reassure her that you understand what she is feeling.

"One of the best things anybody can do [if his partner has been diagnosed with cervical cancer] is to listen to her needs," says Walther Scheibel. "You want to validate her feelings, and at the same time, provide a balance for any overly negative emotions without saying, 'You shouldn't feel that way,'" she says.

Cervical Cancer Care: A Patient Perspective

Shaundra Hall, a cervical cancer survivor in Phoenix, Ariz., and regional director of the Southwest U.S. Chapter of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, says that many women who tell others of their cancer diagnosis end up consoling the other person when they really need to be dealing with their own illness.

"This is why it takes a lot for women to share information with their partners," says Hall.

So when you are talking to your partner about her cervical cancer, remember that it is okay to voice your own concerns. But remember that your partner is the one who is sick, and your role is to be there when your partner needs you.

"I asked my husband to come to each [medical] appointment with me and be my official note-taker," says Hall. "This gave him a purpose and a feeling of control and involvement in my situation," she says.

Think of ways you can make things easier during your partner's cervical cancer treatment. You might volunteer to act as the coordinator in enlisting help from others. By helping to manage her recovery plan, you can help alleviate some of your partner's stress about dealing with her cancer.

"We mapped out a post-surgery/recovery plan so that [my husband] knew what he needed to do and what others were going to do to help him," says Hall.

Remember that no one plans on dealing with cervical cancer, but you can help make your partner's journey less difficult by standing by her and supporting her throughout her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.